Line #4 VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXIV


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pic_king_of_fighters_14_poster.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[TagLine Burn To Fight.]][[note]]Clockwise from top: Iori Yagami, Shun'ei, Kyo Kusanagi, Mai Shiranui, and Nakoruru.[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"Lady and gentleman fighters...\
5	The champion's belt is here.\
6	Come and get it!\
7	The King of Fighters...\
8	...begins now!!"''
9	-->-- '''Antonov'''
10
11	''The King of Fighters XIV'' is the fourteenth installment in the ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'' series created by Creator/{{SNK}}. After a six year hiatus, the series returned in grand style with a new saga (the "New Age" saga) and a new look to boot. This is the first game in the series to swerve the "arcade first" policy and developed for consoles, releasing on August 23rd, 2016 for Platform/PlayStation4, and then ported to arcades on June 29, 2017 for Taito Type X3 board. The Windows version was also released in 2017 on Platform/{{Steam}}, and on Platform/GOGDotCom in 2020.
12
13	In this installment, a Russian billionaire named Antonov buys the rights to the King of Fighters name and, naturally, decides to host a tournament just for the sake of having one. No evil gods, secret organizations or crazy cults pulling the strings, just a regular, actual tournament. The invitations are sent out and fighters, new and old, join the fray for the annual bash up. But like the ones before, Antonov and the participants soon learn that there's something amiss with this new KOF. The new hero is Shun'ei, a young martial artist who is under the teachings of Tung Fu Rue (from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'') and struggles to get control of his powers.
14
15	''KOF XIV'' is the first installment in the main series to take a VideoGame3DLeap (but not the first in the franchise, as ''Maximum Impact'' sub-series on the [=PlayStation=] 2 already did it), shifting from its sprite based pixel art to 3D models, though the fighting system is still on a fixed 2D plane like other TwoAndAHalfD fighting games like ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' and ''[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Guilty Gear Xrd]]''. It utilizes its 3D graphics a lot for the action, like the camera effects focusing on your character when they're using a Super Move. The previews and initial launch version were panned by critics for its 3D graphics looking less stellar than the competition of its time (like the two games mentioned earlier), but SNK rolled out many patches to polish them and update their lighting effects.
16
17	While the start of previous arcs played with experimental mechanics (the Striker system in the NESTS games and the Shift system in the Ash games), ''KOF XIV'' takes a more conservative approach in this regard, basing its general fighting system on its immediate predecessor, ''KOF XIII''. The EX variation of both Special Moves and Super Moves makes a return from ''XIII'', although in ''XIV'' they can only be activated in the MAX Mode and each use depletes the MAX Mode meter. Neo Max in ''XIII'' is replaced by Climax, which requires three Power Gauge stocks (two stocks if you're in the MAX Mode, but using Climax deactivates the MAX Mode instantly). ''KOF XIV'' streamlines the combo systems a bit; it introduces a Rush system that performs a basic combo (finished with a Super Move if you have a Power Gauge stock) only by pressing the Light Punch repetitively. The game also features the Just Defend mechanic (from ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'') which allows the players to parry enemies' moves.
18
19	SNK also put a huge effort on overseas merchandising at the time of release, as its manga adaptation, ''Manga/TheKingOfFightersANewBeginning'', was officially licensed and published in the Western countries to tie with the game.
20
21	[[folder:Teams]]
22	* '''Team China:''' The legendary [[OldMaster Tung Fu Rue]] enters alongside his two newest students: our new saga protagonist [[BadPowersGoodPeople Shun'ei]] and his best friend [[SleepyHead Meitenkun]].
23	* '''Team Japan:''' [[PlayingWithFire Kyo Kusanagi]], [[AgentPeacock Benimaru Nikaido]] and [[TheBigGuy Goro Daimon]] return once again.
24	* '''Team Yagami:''' [[AxCrazy Iori Yagami]], having regained his powers, returns to KOF alongside [[SexySecretary Mature]] and [[SexIsViolence Vice]] to settle his score with Kyo.
25	* '''Team ''VideoGame/FatalFury'':''' [[LivingLegend Terry Bogard]], [[HighlyVisibleNinja Andy Bogard]] and [[HotBlooded Joe Higashi]] as always.
26	* '''Team ''VideoGame/ArtOfFighting'':''' The three disciples of Kyokugen return on the same team: [[HeirToTheDojo Ryo Sakazaki]], Robert Garcia and [[GenkiGirl Yuri Sakazaki]].
27	* '''Team ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'':''' [[MagicalGirl Athena Asamiya]] enters on a promotional tour for her music career, alongside her usual teammates [[TheIdiotFromOsaka Sie Kensou]] and [[DrunkenMaster Chin Gentsai]].
28	* '''Team ''[[VideoGame/IkariWarriors Ikari]]'':''' [[ReiAyanamiExpy Leona Heidern]], [[BashBrothers Ralf Jones and Clark Still]] are sent to once again investigate KOF, to see if the new owner is really as innocent as he claims.
29	* '''Team K':''' Upon learning that remnants of NESTS are beginning to emerge, [[NinetiesAntiHero K']], [[{{Cyborg}} Maxima]] and [[AnIcePerson Kula Diamond]] enter the tournament hoping to tie up loose ends.
30	* '''Team Women Fighters:''' [[{{Bifauxnen}} King]] and [[MsFanservice Mai Shiranui]] return, this time joined by the Shingo to Terry's Kyo, [[UnskilledButStrong Alice Garnet Nakata]].
31	* '''Team Kim:''' Just as he did in the previous tournament, [[JusticeWillPrevail Kim Kaphwan]] enters with a fresh team; in this case, alongside his master [[DirtyOldMan Gang-Il]] and the mysterious [[HeroicSeductress Luong]], a woman Gang-Il fell in love with while training abroad.
32	* '''Team Villain:''' After being let loose from Kim's watch, [[{{Acrofatic}} Chang Koehan]] and [[PintSizedPowerhouse Choi Bounge]] are convinced to return to their criminal ways by the eccentric crime lord [[{{Gonk}} Xanadu]].
33	* '''Team Official Invitation:''' A team formally invited by Antonov consisting of [[MadScientist Sylvie Paula Paula]], a former NESTS scientist who can wield electricity; [[InTheHood Kukri]], a mysterious hooded figure who can wield Earth powers and [[ShrinkingViolet Mian]], a Sichuan opera dancer who incorporates such moves into her fighting style.
34	* '''Team South America:''' Another new team consisting of of newcomers from Brazil and Colombia, including [[BoxingBattler Nelson]], a boxer outfitted with a cybernetic arm, [[DanceBattler Zarina]], a Capoeira dancer trying to save the nesting ground of toucans, and [[McNinja Bandeiras Hattori]], a self proclaimed ninja trying to advertise his own dojo.
35	* '''Team Mexico:''' Returning to KOF after a long absence, [[EyepatchOfPower Ramon]] and [[DarkActionGirl Angel]] are joined by the supposed newcomer [[MaskedLuchador King of the Dinosaurs]]. [[note]]Really Tizoc under a Heel persona which he took on after Nelson beat him in a match.[[/note]]
36	* '''Team South Town:''' [[TheDreaded Geese Howard]] finally enters KOF again, joined by his loyal enforcer [[EvilBrit Billy Kane]] and butler [[AffablyEvil Hein]].
37	* '''Team Another World:''' A team of fighters from different eras in time who somehow found themselves in the present day consisting of [[NatureHero Nakoruru]] from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' and two characters from SNK's pachislot era: [[AnimeChineseGirl Mui Mui]] from ''Dragon Gal'' and [[SkyPirate Love Heart]] from ''Sky Love''. [[note]]Sadly this and ''SNK Heroines'' were the latter two's only fighting game appearances. SNK sold the rights to the characters shortly after, making them unusable for future appearances.[[/note]]
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39	* '''DLC Characters''':
40	** Wave 1: Whip, [[TheSociopath Ryuji Yamazaki]], [[StatuesqueStunner Vanessa]] and [[BadassAngster Rock Howard]] [[note]]This marks Rock's first appearance in a mainline ''KOF'' title, only appearing in spin-offs and crossover games between [[VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves his debut]] and now.[[/note]]
41	** Wave 2: [[ColonelBadass Heidern]], [[CoolOldGuy Oswald]], [[FairCop Blue Mary]] and [[CastingAShadow Najd]] [[note]]A newcomer to the series, being a "night vigilante" hailing from Saudi Arabia. She was the winner in a design contest held by SNK and Manga Productions, hence the lack of story relevance.[[/note]]
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43	* '''Boss''':
44	** Mid-Boss: [[BenevolentBoss Antonov]] - Sponsor of this King of Fighters who just simply wants to prove he's the best of the best. That's it; no ulterior motive, no evil plan, he just wants to claim his rightful title as the King of Fighters. Not that it stops things from going awry...
45	** Final Boss: [[EldritchAbomination Verse]] - An otherworldly being who crashes the tournament after the Finals conclude. Who or what he is is a complete mystery.
46	[[/folder]]
47	----
48	!! ''The King of Fighters XIV'' contains examples of:
49	* TwoAndAHalfD: The first game in the mainline series to make the jump to 3D visuals, but with the traditional 2D gameplay we've come to expect in the genre.[[note]] While ''Maximum Impact'' was the first game in the series to shift to a 3D artstyle, its gameplay on the other hand combined elements of ''KOF'' with those of other 3D fighters, namely ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' and ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'', making it a fusion 2D and 3D fighter. [[/note]]
50	* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
51	** Starting from this game, the Blowback (C+D, both Strong Punch and Kick) will now blow the opponent away and splat them on the other side of the stage if it connects, allowing for a better combo opportunity than in previous games.
52	** Cancel windows as a whole are considerably more lenient here than they ever were in previous games. Go ahead and try doing a basic light confirm as Shun'ei here then do it as K' in ''2002 Unlimited Match'' or as Kyo in ''[='=]98''. Quite the difference to be had.
53	** Like in prior games, if you're having a hard time with the bosses of this game, there's always the Continue Service that lets you level the playing field with a handicap (or no) of your choice on said boss.
54	* AmazonBrigade: Team Women Fighters (Alice, King, and Mai), as per series tradition. There's also Another World (Love Heart, Mui Mui, and Nakoruru) and, well... edit teams that let you pair your own combination of ''KOF's'' most iconic femme fatales.
55	* BackFromTheDead: Well Mature and Vice obviously, though no explanation how in this one[[note]]presumably, they exist just to serve as teammates for Iori at this point[[/note]]. [[spoiler: At the end of the game though, Verse's defeat brings back a ''number'' of deceased characters as it's explained he was carrying the souls of the dead within him including Ash Crimson, Yashiro, Shermie, Chris, ''Orochi'' (though he's quickly sealed), etc. Essentially it's just an excuse to bring back dead characters for the next generation.]]
56	* TheBusCameBack: Besides the abundance of new faces, plenty of familiar ones return after a long absence. Specifically...
57	** Blue Mary, Geese Howard, Oswald, Tung Fu Rue, Vanessa, and Whip all return after being absent since ''KOF XI''. Played with in King of Dinosaurs' case since he's just a dinosaur-themed [[spoiler:Tizoc]] that's trying to perform a FaceHeelTurn. Well... [[PokeThePoodle points for effort]], at least.
58	** This game marks Angel's and Heidern's first appearances in a canon title since ''2001''.
59	** Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge, Kim's longtime teammates turned rivals, return after being last playable in ''2003'' and ''2002'' respectively.
60	* CanonForeigner:
61	** Alice Garnet Nakata, who debuted in a ''VideoGame/FatalFury''-themed pachislot title, makes her mainline series debut here.
62	** Mui Mui and Love Heart, hailing from the ''Dragon Gal'' and ''Sky Love'' pachislot titles respectively, make their first and only ''KOF'' appearance here.
63	** Nakoruru, of ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' fame, also appears in this title as part of the Another World team.
64	** Rock Howard, the main protagonist of ''VideoGame/GarouMarkOfTheWolves'', finally makes his mainline series debut after numerous cameos (notably ''2001'') as a child.
65	* DawnOfAnEra: From a meta standpoint, this game marks Creator/{{SNK}}'s second return from bankruptcy after the failure of ''The King of Fighters XII'' ([[NeverLiveItDown which left them reeling quite a bit]] despite the success of ''XIII''). Only this time as ''just'' SNK and not SNK Playmore.
66	* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Verse just appears with ''no'' foreshadowing whatsoever to keep up with the tradition of KOF having super humanoid bosses. This does lead into a mystery later where he comes from in the [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFightersXV following game]] but still...
67	* HellholePrison: The home stage of the Villains Team is a straight, almost nightmarish example, with there being plenty of floating cages and crumbling stone walls strewn about.
68	* MasqueradeBall: The Official Invitation Team's home stage is, well... ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Opera vocals and all.
69	* MusicalNod: ''Tons'' of classic ''KOF'' (and by extension, many of SNK's other [=IPs=]) tracks have been given the remix treatment for this one. This list only covers a minority of them.
70	** "New Order" from ''KOF XI'' plays during Kyo's and Iori's Fated Battle.
71	** "Soy Sauce For Geese" from ''Fatal Fury 2'' is remixed twice - once for the original ''FF'' version (which plays when Terry fights Geese) and the other being a remix of Geese's theme from ''Art of Fighting 2'' (which plays when Geese fights Ryo).
72	** "Micha Iya!", another classic ''Art of Fighting'' piece, plays when King fights against Ryo.
73	** "KD-0079", K's theme from his [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters99 debut game]], is remixed for his Fated Battle against Ralf.
74	** Speaking of which, the main theme from ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'' is also remixed when Ralf and Clark square off against each other.
75	** "London March", Billy Kane's iconic {{Leitmotif}} (which had already been remixed in the previous game) is given ''another'' remix, this time playing when he fights against Hein.
76	** Surprisingly enough, even Andy gets some love with his ''Fatal Fury 2'' theme, "Pasta", being remixed for his bout against his master, Tung.
77	** Even further still, "Kurikinton", Terry's own {{leitmotif}} is also remixed as "Kuri Kinton Flavor" whenever he's present in the Transcontinental Railroad stage.
78	** The Ikari Warriors' theme from ''KOF [='=]99'' is also remixed as Whip's standalone theme.
79	** "[=C62=]", Yamazaki's theme from ''Fatal Fury 3'', is also likewise remixed as his own standalone theme.
80	* NoOSHACompliance: Team Yagami's stage is a remixed version of Iori's classic stage from ''[='=]95'', which in itself returned back in ''XIII''.
81	* NotJustATournament: Naturally since it's ''KOF'' but unlike the previous games, this tournament's unexpected climax wasn't Antonov's fault at all, as all he did was buy the rights to the name and organize it as a legitimate sporting event.
82	* VideoGame3DLeap: While not the first KOF to go CGI (that honor belongs to the ''Maximum Impact'' series). It is the first in the mainline series to go 3D after years of sprite-based games.

Context VideoGame / TheKingOfFightersXIV